Chapter 1. The Math Genius (1/2)
Chapter 1. The Math Genius
“Cho Ryu Hyang, what’s the answer to this problem?”
“8532.”
“…….Correct. How about this?”
“6320.”
“……..How do you solve this thing just by glancing at it? You started learning math after me and you’re already better.”
The boy who answered the questions lazily while browsing through the books. Cho Ryu Hyang. This boy adjusted his glasses, a rare tool in this day and age, and answered.
“You didn’t concentrate. That’s why.”
“Says the guy who’s answering the question while reading books.”
Cho Ryu Hyang shrugged at the boy who seemed at least twice his size. Unknown-3
“You’re in a family of martial artists anyways, so doing well in math shouldn’t matter, right? You just have to be good at martial arts.”
“This is a matter of pride, damn it.”
The boy with the big physique.
Peng Ga Ho, as the second son of the biggest martial clan in the south, known as the North River Clan (河北彭家), answered whilst frowning in annoyance.
“I never thought I was really dumb, but whenever I look at you, I feel like an idiot.”
“At least you’re better at martial arts than me.”
“That’s obvious, you idiot. I trained in the main family for years, you think it would make sense if you were better at martial arts than me? Plus, I’m even two years older than you….. If I didn’t even have a better physique than you, I should just go kill myself.”
Peng Ga Ho, since childhood, was trained in various martial arts, and was fed multitudes of precious medicines. Compared to that, while Cho Ryu Hyang had many other achievements, he was someone who could barely understand only the basics of martial arts. Obviously it was impossible to compare these two. Cho Ryu Hyang, as if he realized this fact, nodded and calmly said:
“Well, the investments that were made on us were too different, anyways.”
“…….You’re way too calculative.”
“Thanks for the compliment.”
“How’s that a compliment? It’s an insult!”
Cho Ryu Hyang smirked at his friend, who was pestering him since a while back, and told him:
“Just like how your house stakes their life on swords, our house stakes our life on numbers. You being better than me at martial arts is as obvious as me being better than you at math. So don’t start getting fired up at such useless things. It’s a waste of time.”
“W-who said I was getting fired up?”
Peng Ga Ho’s face turned red in anger. Cho Ryu Hyang, whilst seeing his face, took his glasses off and rubbed his eyes.
“Me taking first place at the Mathematical Theories Competition was obvious. You taking third place was what was really surprising. You should be content with this, friend.”
“Yeah, you should be satisfied with that results, Peng Ga Ho. That’s the limit of your brain, after all.”
A boy suddenly barged himself into the conversation.
This boy, who possessed a thin body, without a speck on his body, was Un Geuk Lin, the youngest child in the martial family said to be able to rival the North River Clan, the Pearl Sage Clan.
“Un Geuk Lin, why are you barging into our conversation? Us big brothers are having a serious conversation here.”
When Peng Ga Ho asked him with a pout, Un Geuk Lin responded with a big grin on his face.
“Big brother my ass. Also, this conversation didn’t seem important at all.”
“Are you here to pick a fight again?”
“I’m here to ask a favor from Cho Ryu Hyang. I don’t have any business with you, so you can go f*ck yourself.”
“You trying to pick a fight with big brother?”
“Big brother this, big brother that…. if we’re fighting with our fists, I’ll gladly accept.”
Peng Ga Ho slowly stood up after hearing Un Geuk Lin’s challenge.
“The main house talks with our swords only. The petty fist fights the peasants have with each other doesn’t even count as a fight. This big brother will go easy on you with a wooden sword, so come to the arena with me.”
“You asshole… How are you even able to say your going to use weapons with a straight face like that? Right, Cho Ryu Hyang?”
When Un Geuk Lin asked for assistance, Cho Ryu Hyang, who put his glasses back on a while back, answered with a bored tone.
“The Pearl Sage Clan is famous for their skill with their fists and poles, while the North River Clan is famous for their sword techniques. It’s a useless to try to see who’s stronger. Also, you guys are being way too loud here. If you’re going to fight, can you do it outside? I still have some books to read…..”
“Stop holing yourself in the corner and go exercise outside. At this rate, you’re going to have fungus all over yourself.”
When Peng Ga Ho scolded him, Cho Ryu Hyang again answered with a bored tone.
“I clean myself daily, so I have no worries like that. I actually like washing myself, you know.”
When Cho Ryu Hyang turned his attention back to his book, Peng Ga Ho said something to Un Geuk Lin.
“Un Geuk Lin, you said you had something to do with him, right?”
“Yeah. That’s why I came. You think I’m crazy enough to come to this place for any other reason?”
“I thought so. In that case, help me do this.”
“Do what?”
Peng Ga Ho, with an evil smile on his face, grabbed one of Cho Ryu Hyang’s arms.
“You hold the other side.”
Cho Ryu Hyang tried to resist, but naturally he didn’t have the strength to even impede Peng Ga Ho. Un Geuk Lin wasn’t someone to decline this sort of thing, so he quickly grabbed Cho Ryu Hyang’s other arm, and put it over his shoulder.
“The training field, right?”
“Of course, comrade.”
Cho Ryu Hyang, knowing that when these two rivals were unmatched in strength when they combined their powers, gave up on escaping. He wrinkled his nose a little, and said,
“Don’t do this, I don’t like exercising.”
“Don’t you know that you need a healthy body for a healthy mind, friend? There’s going to be a Martial Arts Competition soon anyways, so let’s go train our bodies for that. ”
“I’m not interested in a competition like that.”
“I’m interested, friend. That’s why we should so together, Uhahaha!”
Looking at Peng Ga Ho, who was dragging him by the arms while laughing, Cho Ryu Hyang let out a small sigh.
Even though he looks big and dumb on the outside, Peng Ga Ho was unexpectedly smart. Contrary to that, Un Geuk Lin looked small and weak on the outside, but was actually extremely sly and hard working. Taking these two on as friends was indeed a very good thing, but there were parts of Cho Ryu Hyang’s life that he had to throw away as sacrifice.
There was a book that lay face up, far away from where Cho Ryu Hyang currently was. Looking at the Book on Math Theory that he found with great difficulty, Cho Ryu Hyang’s face turned into that of sadness. He was so close to finishing the book, and then a useless event happened again. Cho Ryu Hyang felt pity for himself for being in a situation like this.
* * *
“Chi (技) isn’t something that you master the first time you practice it. In fact, you can say that everything started the moment you access Chi. You must cycle Chi through body thousands of times before mastering it. Only when you master Chi, can you break your shell and reach the wall.”
Peng Ga Ho nodded with empathy as he listened to the old scholar in the auditorium. And he whispered to Cho Ryu Hyang the moment after.
“This is just like the elders at the main house teaching us about Chi Breakthroughs.”(TL: 상승무공
“Really?”
“The fact that martial power and math is related to each other in a way is quite interesting. I knew my father had a good reason for seething me here.”
The old scholar at the front was a famous mathematician known as Jo Gi Chun (朝紀天). Right now he was staying here in the mountains because of his old age, but when he was young, his calculation skills were said to be unfathomable. The fact that he was able to finish documents that normally needed at least 10 people alone showed how much brainpower he had.
“The one talking over there, it’s you, isn’t it, Peng Ga Ho?”
“No it’s not.”
When Peng Ga Ho got caught, he took out his usual poker face and denied it. But Jo Gi Chun wasn’t that easy to trick.
“You think you can hide that, especially with that big body of yours? Be a man and admit that you did it.”
Peng Ga Ho, who put his pride on his manliness and honor, made a concerned face. Soon after, he admitted his crime.
“Yes, I talked.”
“And the boy who’ll be sacrificed with you would of course be Cho Ryu Hyang.”