Cultivating in a Cringey Erotic Novel – Chapter 6

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Translated By Arcane Translations
Translator: Chaos
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I raised my sword.

I didn’t care that Lee Tae-ryang had feelings for Seol Ah-yeon.

It was ridiculous that he was so smitten with a girl destined to become the protagonist’s heroine.

I had no interest in getting involved with Seol Ah-yeon.

‘The important thing is that Lee Tae-ryang has bared his fangs at me.’

I glared at him with annoyance.

Perhaps sensing a hint of malice, Lee Tae-ryang and his lackeys faltered for a moment.

But it was short-lived.

Lee Tae-ryang shouted,

“Beat him senseless!”

“Got it, Tae-ryang!”

“…”

I wanted to sigh.

These kids were so young, yet their narrow-minded obedience to someone just because of his status was pathetic.

Did they think they’d get some scraps if Lee Tae-ryang climbed the ranks?

‘No, they’ll just be discarded.’

I smirked inwardly.

Lee Tae-ryang’s lackeys were advancing on me, maintaining a loose formation.

I could guess their strategy.

‘They probably think that ganging up on someone like this will make them surrender.’

How laughable.

That was my first thought.

Their swords, swung with clumsy force, weren’t even worthy of being called a commoner’s swords.

‘They’re the swords of cowards who’ve compromised with reality!’

My eyes widened.

I recalled the principles of the Three Powers Swordsmanship.

With the same single-mindedness I’d used when cutting the plum blossoms, I swung my sword horizontally.

Whoosh!

A ‘thwack’ echoed through the mountains.

A dull thud of impact.

“Ugh! Gah!”

“My… my sword!”

Lee Tae-ryang only had three lackeys with him.

I’d knocked their swords from their grasp in an instant.

I sighed and muttered,

“Pathetic.”

“W-What…!”

“You won’t even make a living as martial artists, let alone become masters.”

“What the hell are you talking about, you crazy bastard…!”

One of Lee Tae-ryang’s lackeys shouted, looking at me in disbelief.

He must have been stunned.

They’d expected their combined attack to be an easy win.

But their coordination was amateurish to me, someone who had far surpassed them in swordsmanship.

And in that moment of deflecting their attack, I realized something.

‘I’ve already surpassed the level of these probationary disciples.’

There was nothing holding me back now.

I didn’t care that they’d dropped their wooden swords.

If they started a fight, they should be prepared for the consequences.

“S-Stay back!”

“This… this bastard…!”

They cried out in alarm.

Ignoring their pleas, I slowly approached them and muttered,

“…So much noise from those who blindly follow orders.”

“…!”

“What did you say you’d do to me? Right, beat me senseless. I’ll return the favor.”

Swish!

I slowly raised my wooden sword.

I could sense their fear, but I swung anyway.

Crack!

I’d used the flat of my blade, but with enough force behind it that they crumpled to the ground and screamed.

“Gah…!”

“Ow… it hurts…!”

‘It’s supposed to hurt.’

With a wry smile, I continued to beat Lee Tae-ryang’s lackeys.

If any of the Mount Hua Sect instructors saw this, they would probably try to stop me.

I pounded them as if to avenge all the frustration and pain of my training.

Thwack! Thwack! Thwack!

“…Ugh.”

“Whew…”

I sighed.

Quite some time had passed.

I’d started with the flat of my blade, but eventually, using my fists felt more efficient.

I’d realized that hitting with the flat of the sword wasn’t as satisfying.

After beating their faces until they were swollen, I asked,

“Lee Tae-ryang, aren’t you going to attack?”

“…”

Silence.

He was frozen in place.

Perhaps terrified by how brutally I had dealt with his friends, he just stared blankly ahead.

His fighting spirit had vanished, replaced entirely by fear.

It was a bit anticlimactic, but I didn’t see the point in continuing to beat someone who’d already lost the will to fight.

I considered my options, then decided a simple warning would suffice.

Step, step…

I sheathed my sword and approached Lee Tae-ryang.

“Uh, uh…”

“Lee Tae-ryang, you order your lackeys to attack, then cower behind them while they get beaten? How pathetic.”

“P-Please spare me…!”

He quickly dropped to his knees.

He’d realized that he would suffer the same fate as his lackeys, perhaps even worse.

His followers had no backing, no one to retaliate for them.

But Lee Tae-ryang was different.

If he was soundly defeated by an outsider who’d barely joined Mount Hua, the repercussions would be severe.

‘His father, the Jae So Clan leader, and even the elders would hold him accountable.’

I smirked.

His plea for mercy was really a plea to protect his reputation.

I pretended to consider it for a moment, then leaned down and whispered in his ear,

“If you pull something like this again, you’ll regret it.”

“…!”

He trembled like a leaf.

I chuckled, spun my sword in the air, and sheathed it, then walked away.

How dull.

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The day of the examination arrived.

Exactly one week after dealing with Lee Tae-ryang.

I returned to the dormitory after my morning run and saw a large notice posted on the wall.

‘…Quite a crowd.’

It was better to wait until the others dispersed before checking the notice, but there was no sign of them leaving anytime soon.

So, I shrugged and pushed my way through the crowd.

“…So, they’ve formed groups of four.”

I nodded slowly.

The notice listed the hundreds of probationary disciples, divided into groups of four.

I scanned the names, searching for mine.

‘…There it is, Eun Ha-seong. And my group members are…’

I looked at the names beside mine with interest, then froze in surprise.

“…Seol Ah-yeon?”

Shift!

I suddenly became aware of the stares directed at me.

Most were filled with jealousy, some with envy.

“…”

I didn’t recognize the other two names.

If I hadn’t heard of them, they were probably unremarkable.

But Seol Ah-yeon… having her in my group was going to be troublesome.

‘…Can I win?’

Doubt filled my mind.

Unlike me, Seol Ah-yeon had trained in martial arts from a young age.

As the only daughter of the Mu Gyeong Clan leader, her internal energy was likely far superior to mine, especially since I hadn’t consumed any elixirs.

Internal energy was everything at this stage of training.

I swallowed nervously.

But then I shook my head.

‘I won’t know until I fight her.’

Just then, one of the second-generation disciples acting as examiners shouted,

“Gather around! The examination is about to begin!”

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The examination began.

I watched the other probationary disciples spar.

They were all much the same.

A few showed some talent and caught the examiners’ attention.

They diligently recorded observations on their papers.

But even their skills seemed ordinary to me.

Then—

“…Next is Group 23. First up, Seol Ah-yeon versus Eun Ha-seong.”

“…!”

I’d been stifling a yawn, but now I quickly grabbed my sword and stepped forward.

‘I was too relaxed.’

The examiner, noticing my inattention, glared at me.

He didn’t seem to appreciate my drowsiness.

“You…”

“Seol Ah-yeon.”

The examiner was about to say something to me, but Seol Ah-yeon stepped onto the training grounds with a faint smile and introduced herself.

He cleared his throat.

Seol Ah-yeon’s beauty was still like an unopened bud, but even so, she possessed an ethereal charm that captivated even the examiner.

Then, an elder sitting at the head table, clearly disapproving of the examiner’s distraction, spoke with a hint of authority in his voice,

“Begin.”

“Ahem, yes, understood.”

“…”

I remained silent.

The training grounds were packed with disciples eager to watch the match, or perhaps just to admire Seol Ah-yeon’s beauty.

Among them were not only probationary disciples but even some of the second-generation disciple instructors.

‘They’re probably curious about Seol Ah-yeon’s current skill level.’

She was likely considered the most talented among the current probationary disciples.

Which meant they were already assuming my defeat.

I could tolerate the spectators focusing on her beauty rather than the match itself, but their presumption of my loss was unacceptable.

Then, just before the match began, Seol Ah-yeon smiled faintly and whispered to me,

“Go easy on me.”

“…”

“Well, the outcome is obvious anyway.”

She seemed to expect my defeat as well.

Realizing her words weren’t meant as a provocation but a simple statement of fact, I chuckled wryly.

‘We’ll see…’

Just then, the examiner shouted,

“Begin!”

Whoosh!

Without a moment’s hesitation, our swords clashed.

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“…Ah-yeon’s skills are truly remarkable.”

“Not only is she the best among this group, but she could even hold her own against inner disciples from other sects.”

The elders murmured amongst themselves.

Seol Ah-yeon was clearly the most promising prospect in this examination.

Considering that one of the reasons the elders were present was because of the Mu Gyeong Clan leader, this wasn’t surprising.

‘One of the contenders for the title of Mount Hua’s best swordsman.’

Elder Myeong-ryong-geom thought to himself.

The Mu Gyeong Clan leader had once been considered Mount Hua’s greatest talent.

Naturally, the elders were interested in the abilities of his only heir.

He silently observed the match.

Then, he heard a murmur beside him.

“However, something seems… odd.”

“What is it?”

“…Seol Ah-yeon’s opponent is holding his own rather well.”

“Hmm… Surely, she’s just going easy on him?”

‘…!’

Elder Myeong-ryong-geom’s eyes widened.

Going easy on him?

Impossible.

He’d known Seol Ah-yeon since she was a child.

He was certain of her character.

‘Ah-yeon always gives her all. Even against opponents far weaker than herself…!’

His gaze shifted to Seol Ah-yeon’s opponent, who had been almost forgotten.

While the other elders were focused on Seol Ah-yeon’s swordsmanship, Elder Myeong-ryong-geom observed the boy.

He then asked one of the examiners, who was standing guard,

“…What’s that child’s name?”

“That child, sir?”

“Yes, the one sparring with Seol Ah-yeon.”

“…Eun Ha-seong, sir.”

Elder Myeong-ryong-geom sighed briefly, having received an answer that didn’t address his underlying question.

He then murmured, just loud enough for himself to hear,

“…The true talent was elsewhere.”

The match appeared evenly matched on the surface.

Eun Ha-seong was sweating profusely as he countered Seol Ah-yeon’s attacks, and she, in turn, was trying to overpower him.

But Elder Myeong-ryong-geom saw something else.

There was no hesitation or desperation in Eun Ha-seong’s movements.

Clang!

Eun Ha-seong kicked off the ground and leapt into the air to evade Seol Ah-yeon’s attack.

He then swiftly gathered his meager internal energy into his sword.

“What’s that…?”

Elder Myeong-ryong-geom murmured in surprise.

A deep violet aura was emanating from the tip of Eun Ha-seong’s sword.

‘No, not quite violet yet… it’s like…’

He swallowed.

It wasn’t an illusion.

Eun Ha-seong’s sword was…

…glowing with the color of plum blossoms.

It was a faint glow, barely noticeable unless you looked closely.

But that plum blossom hue sent a jolt through Elder Myeong-ryong-geom, like a flash of lightning.

‘What in the…’

Just as he stared at the match in astonishment, he heard a voice beside him.

“A genius…!”

It was the Mount Hua Sect Leader, Hyun Mujin-in, his words filled with awe.

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[T/N: This chapter includes an illustration. Check Discord for it.]

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