Just as Seola smoothly took a step back, the hand that had been on her shoulder slipped off, and Lackey 1 stumbled forward and fell flat on his face.
Unfortunately for him—
Splat!
He landed right where the rice cake he had stepped on was lying.
As a result, some of the squished rice cake stuck to his cheek, and some got into his open mouth.
Lackey 1 immediately gagged and dry-heaved.
"Oh no! I guess you really wanted that rice cake. You must've wanted it so badly you dove face-first for it. Well then, I'll let you have it!"
Seola said with a bright smile, as if she were generously offering to share.
Everyone stared at her in shock.
Why are they looking so surprised?
Haven't they seen karma in action before?
"L-Lady! It was an accident! My foot slipped because of the rice cake!"
Lackey 1 quickly tried to explain.
But of course, it wasn't an accident.
He jumped to his feet, clearly too embarrassed to back down now, and quickly took a stance.
With his face covered in mashed rice cake and dirt, he didn't exactly look intimidating.
"Move."
A new guy pushed past him and stepped in front of Seola.
He looked like the leader of the group.
"You haven't just been hiding in the Closed Pavilion, have you? You've got some skill."
"Shouldn't you say it correctly? More accurately, his skills are just awful."
Well… it was also true that her skills were excellent.
"No way… Is Geom Taewoong stepping in personally?"
"Didn't you see just now? Baekha went down instantly."
"Still, isn't it dangerous to go against Geom Taewoong? If he gets mad at you, you won't walk away in one piece. Just look at their size difference!"
They were trying to keep their voices low, but—
'Tsk, tsk. I can hear everything.'
Just like everyone said, the group leader named Geom Taewoong was much bigger than Seola. He looked like someone who had been well-fed and taken care of.
'So what? Only weaklings worry about size.'
Before she was ever given the nickname "Sword Queen," Seola had crossed swords with a bandit chief whose arms were as thick as her waist.
She won.
That same bandit chief from the Eighteenth Stronghold later became her close friend.
He died not long after the Great War between Justice and Evil began, trying to help her.
'Well then, let's see what you've got.'
Judging by how shocked the others were, this guy must be better than Lackey 1.
And he was—at least, somewhat.
From his stance, it was clear he had some skill.
Still, to Seola, his flaws were obvious.
"..."
The guy drew his wooden sword and cautiously watched her.
'At least he's not charging in without thinking. That's something.'
His footwork was also quite good.
Compared to others his age, he was clearly ahead.
Despite his cocky attitude, he hadn't been slacking in training. His balance was solid, and his sword tip didn't waver.
But…
'He's too straightforward.'
His sword moves were textbook—just as he'd been taught.
'There's no one who would fall for such an obvious attack that's basically yelling "I'm coming at you from here!"'
He was far better than Lackey 1, sure.
But still not enough for Seola to even consider drawing her wooden sword.
Swish!
With a slight twist of her body, Seola easily dodged the attack. The guy's face turned bright red in surprise.
"What the hell?! Are you playing around?!"
Though this had started as a simple provocation, it looked like he was taking it seriously now.
Then Seola couldn't take him lightly either.
'Alright, I'll play along for real now.'
As Seola finally drew her wooden sword, the atmosphere shifted dramatically.
"She drew her sword! She's really going to fight!"
"Maybe something really did change in the Closed Pavilion… She's even going up against Geom Taewoong!"
"Hey, quiet! Don't let him hear you. Don't you know how nasty his temper is?"
The crowd buzzed the moment Seola pulled out her sword.
They'd thought she was just wasting time or trying to skip punishment, but now their opinions were changing.
"Your stance is solid, your balance is good, and your form is perfect."
"What?"
Seola's sudden comment made the guy raise an eyebrow in confusion.
"But you're too tied down by the textbook moves. You're way too predictable."
"What?"
"I can see every move you're going to make."
"Hah… This is ridiculous. Fine, I'll admit you're not completely incompetent. But anyone can run their mouth."
With that, Geom Taewoong came at her again, swinging sharply.
But—
Clack!
The strike that had seemed powerful enough to slice through air was easily blocked.
With just a slight tap from Seola's wooden sword.
"See? When you use such predictable attacks, anyone with a bit of awareness can read you like a book."
If he had overwhelming internal energy, it might've worked.
But a kid like him couldn't possibly have that.
'You can't reach this level just by training alone. Why is someone who trains this much still so clumsy in a real fight?'
Seola thought for a moment, then said,
"You haven't had much sparring practice, have you?"
"…What nonsense are you saying?"
"These are things you learn naturally through actual sparring. Oh… Do the others refuse to fight you? So it's not that you don't want to spar—it's that no one wants to spar with you?"
"You—!"
Ah. Did she hit a nerve?
Seola sighed.
Was Sword Hall really this short on talent?
"You can't win with brute force and textbook moves. You need to learn to adapt."
"Why don't you stop talking and fight properly!"
Furious, Geom Taewoong knocked away Seola's sword and backed off with clenched teeth.
"If I get serious, you won't even be able to stand."
"Hah. All talk, huh?"
"Well, if you insist…"
At first, Seola had considered breaking his leg and getting him expelled from the sect.
Not just because he wasted food—but yes, that was a big part of it.
One thing Seola couldn't stand was people who treated food carelessly.
Even before the Great War, when she was in the Sword Hall, it was the same.
During the war, food and supplies were precious. There were countless times she had to fight for days without proper food or rest.
The worst was when the Demonic Cult tried to trap her with their Thousand-Net Formation.
'I thought I'd starve to death for real back then.'
The Cult, specifically under the orders of Blood Brain's spies, had even poisoned food and water, leaving her unable to eat or drink.
That trauma left a deep scar.
Anyone who wasted food deserved punishment.
'This guy is annoying too, but… he seems serious enough. As a senior, I suppose I should give him proper guidance.'
Seola decided to show him some mercy.
Not because the guy smelled delicious up close or anything.
Huff—
She relaxed her arms with a slow motion.
And with that, her entire presence changed.
Before, she had been lazily defending. Now, even though her stance looked more open, there was an overwhelming air of pressure.
"I'll let you have three moves. Come at me."
That lit the fire.
Feeling mocked, Geom Taewoong's face twisted in anger, but he charged in with more caution than before.
Seola didn't even take a step back. Just slight turns of her upper body were enough to deflect all three attacks.
'Alright. I've gone easy long enough.'
Seola's attack began.
Thud!
A heavy sound rang out—hard to believe it came from wooden swords.
Though he staggered, the guy managed not to fall.
"Ugh…!"
Crack!
Thud!
Cra—
"Ugh…!"
Crack!
Thud!
Crash!
With each hit, the sound of impact echoed loudly. Even though it wasn't a real sword, the wooden sword held plenty of weight, especially when swung by someone with proper skills.
The sound alone was heavy enough to make people flinch.
Thud!
"Agh!"
This time, he couldn't withstand it anymore. His body staggered back as if it had been hit by a log, and he collapsed to one side.
He looked as if he had lost all strength in his legs, his shoulders trembling.
"Y-You…!"
"Now do you get it? Even if you train hard, if you don't know how to apply it, it's useless."
"Damn it…!"
He bit his lip.
He didn't try to get up again right away.
He must have realized the gap between them.
Still, that meant he had some brains.
It was better than those guys who kept rushing in without thinking.
Seol-Ah lowered her wooden sword and asked calmly,
"Done?"
"…."
There was no answer.
"Alright. If you're done, then move. I have no more time to waste."
Seol-Ah turned around without hesitation.
The crowd, which had been buzzing moments ago, was now completely silent.
They all looked at Seol-Ah with wide eyes, as if they had seen a ghost.
The rumors said she ran away because she didn't want punishment.
They thought she was just wasting time hiding out in the closed hall.
But now…
None of them could say a word.
"…Crazy. She beat Geom Tae-woong like that?"
"She didn't just beat him. He couldn't even touch her."
"Who the hell is she really?"
That was the question everyone was asking now.
Seol-Ah didn't care.
She didn't start this fight to show off.
All she cared about was teaching them a lesson for messing with her food.
And maybe, just a little, showing that real skill doesn't come from flashy moves or loud mouths.
It comes from experience.
And Seol-Ah had more than enough of that.