Chapter: 292
It has been three days since the entrance exam began.
Countless participants who came to take the test for the first time failed in their second attempt; however, there were still hundreds of individuals left.
The difficulty of the exam was low, but that’s not the case.
It’s simply because the number of latecomers in this era is far too many.
In fact,
“You can’t even take the exam at Shinryonggwan without a letter of recommendation.”
A prestigious family or a renowned school.
Unless there’s the influence of an instructor or high-ranking members of a faction, it’s impossible to take the entrance exam for Shinryonggwan.
Considering that, one could say this era is overflowing with late bloomers.
Even if there’s a lot, it should be at a manageable level.
Just how many are there?
“So, I guess we’re talking about meteors and such.”
Since we happen to live in an era where the late bloomers are abundant, it follows that statistically speaking, many geniuses and average folks are born.
And within that competition, those who are called geniuses manage to stand out.
Thus, they give it a fancy name like the Meteor Generation and glorify it, right?
What a truly pointless endeavor.
“Anyway,”
Even if all those geniuses gather and pile up, there’s nothing we can do about a single Cheonma.
“The time spent at Shinryonggwan ends in half a year, or at most a year.”
Thinking about the training period of three years, it means they’re saying they’ll cut that down by more than half.
But I’ve already thought of a way around it.
Of course, this is all on the condition that I complete all the tasks I’ve planned at Shinryonggwan.
At the very least,
I must not exceed a year.
“The appearance of Cheonma is a story that will unfold in four to five years from now.”
A lot of things are twisted in circumstances, which means that the Cheonma might appear suddenly at any moment.
It’s crucial to minimize time spent.
“The most comfortable and best way,”
If the being I encountered at the Black Palace is truly the future Cheonma,
“…If I find him and take care of him, it could all end.”
This would prevent future bloodshed while resolving the ensuing disasters simultaneously, but
“I can’t find him.”
Despite constantly gathering and searching for information, I couldn’t uncover anything about this anywhere.
Honestly, if he’s truly hiding in the realm of demons,
How would I even find him?
So, I can’t waste time desperately trying to locate the Cheonma of this era.
It’s a situation where I must grasp both sides of things.
“So, I need to quickly snag what I can from Shinryonggwan and make a run for it.”
As I rub my throbbing forehead, I can hear voices from a distance.
“Please gather as the test will commence.”
It was the beginning of the final exam.
For a moment, I was curious about what the other kids were up to, but
I figured they’d manage on their own.
Even if I didn’t want to see, I’d eventually find out, so I decided to tune it out for now.
The third test was that way.
If my prediction is correct.
Sure enough, while preparing to take the exam,
An instructor approached me and handed me a belt of a different color.
Upon seeing it, I immediately recognized what it was.
Without asking why, I reached for the belt.
“Thank you…”
Pull!
It didn’t budge as if stuck.
“Huh?”
There’s no way a loose belt could have stiffened.
Naturally, I looked up at the swordsman.
“…Instructor?”
“Why do you look like that?”
“Shouldn’t you be handing it over?”
The swordsman held onto it tightly, refusing to let go.
What on earth is this?
In response to my question, Geom-hu smiled that characteristic sweet smile of his.
“Oh, I’m sorry. I overexerted myself the day before yesterday… I can barely move at all…”
“…”
No way.
Is this guy seriously thumbing his nose at me?
‘Because of that explosion last time?’
Sure, it tucked on my conscience a little.
It caused a total mess around here.
Let alone the exam I’m currently undertaking, it was held a little ways away from the original location.
Given how chaotic things got, doing the exam there would be impossible.
‘Who told you to prod me like that?’
If Geom-hu had just left me alone on the test stand,
I wouldn’t have had a problem at all.
But he’s the one who got on my nerves.
I merely responded to him.
And while it started as an overreaction, I had anticipated that the instructor would contain it from the beginning.
Of course, I didn’t fully trust it.
I moderated things, even while sustaining slight internal injuries.
“If I had known you could take it so easily, I should have just let it go.”
If anything stood out from my expectations,
It was this — Geom-hu’s strength was way beyond what I had anticipated.
Though he claimed to be tired,
The injuries I sustained seemed to be superficial as a rat’s droppings.
No matter how much I diminished and controlled the explosive power before detonating it.
This feels a little unfair.
‘Because of that, the people around started to glance at me weirdly.’
Furtive and surprised gazes that seemed to question whether that human was really the true dragon.
Now I could feel other emotions creeping in too.
Is it admiration or fright?
Or perhaps all three?
No matter what it is, it’s all just bothersome.
I pulled the belt that Geom-hu was holding with some force.
Thud.
After a while, did he finally loosen his grip?
Only then was I able to grab the belt.
“…Could you explain what this is?”
That’s what I asked Geom-hu.
I had an inkling of what sort of exam this was, but it would be odd to say I knew, so I had to ask.
“No wonder, you seem to take joy in withholding this information.”
“Being honest is refreshing, but wouldn’t it be troublesome if you don’t say anything?”
His confidence was almost amusing.
Though I wouldn’t laugh in his face, Geom-hu let out a light sigh before explaining carefully.
I was given a total of two belts, which were colored red and yellow.
And, not only those two colors, but there is also a blue belt as well.
Looking around,
Some had received blue and red belts, while others had yellow and blue ones.
The test itself was rather simple.
Before sunset, one had to procure a color they didn’t possess to have all three belts.
As for the belts of different colors,
They’ve apparently tied them to the corpses of demon beasts released in the forest.
Which means you just have to catch them and strip them away.
Since the Shinryonggwan is a prestigious sword training institution in name, the final exam must be against demon beasts.
‘Then, it must not be blue but rather a green rank beast.’
Regardless of whether it’s Kunlun or the Martial Alliance,
They wouldn’t go to the trouble of capturing blue beasts just for the entrance exam.
The probability of it being a green beast is much higher.
Even if they did capture a blue beast,
It wouldn’t make sense to release it among the late bloomers.
Oh, and of course,
“It means it’s perfectly fine to snatch them from others.”
There was no obligation to procure belts solely from the demon beasts.
One could also ambush other candidates to steal their belts.
In the first place, that’s the purpose of the test.
‘As for the others…’
Those in Group Two were likely just Gu Jeolyub and Gu Yeonseo.
I couldn’t help but worry about those still in Group One.
Though they should all manage just fine.
‘Is that why they divided the testing grounds into two?’
They were unnecessarily splitting the mountains.
What’s not to like about that cumbersome method?
‘Wait, does that mean Peng Ah-Hee went through the mountains just to warn me?’
Thinking of Peng Ah-Hee who came from afar just to caution me about that classmate struck a sentimental chord.
Though I really can’t understand why she went through such trouble.
As I sat there trembling, waiting for things to settle down,
Finally, the instructor’s voice rang out.
“This third examination will end when the sun sets.”
“It will start with the firing of an arrow after half a position.”
No sooner had the instructor finished speaking,
Whoosh!
The cluster of late bloomers around me vanished without a trace, camouflaging their presence.
In half a position, it begins.
And the mention of firing an arrow to signal the start means
You’re all expected to hide and prepare in the allotted time.
Given that the remaining individuals were those still standing for the third exam, they seemed to grasp the instructor’s words quite well.
The reason these individuals were hiding is simple.
While this examination is meant to evaluate how one copes with situations or how they hunt demon beasts,
Ultimately, they each know that grabbing from others is significantly quicker than tracking down an elusive beast.
‘Everyone’s quite sharp.’
It seems everyone has caught on that the third exam is the real deal.
I stood quietly, watching all of this,
Then slowly made my way into the forest.
Crash!
My body wrapped in heat
Zips past the trees at speed.
Focusing my Qi in my toes,
I trampled down on the ground.
Whoosh!
With the heat contained within me, my speed increased.
Click.
As the distance closes, I spot my target in the distance.
The moment the target comes into view, the youth gripped the sword hilt at his waist.
Upon sensing my presence, the target ramped up his speed, trying to flee.
But the skill gap was too excessive.
If I noticed him, there was no way he could escape.
I could see his back.
The youth’s eyes glinted with excitement.
Seeing the back means
“I’ve reached him.”
He has entered my radius.
Swish!
Upon reaching a certain distance, the youth swung his sword without hesitation,
Sending a blade of Qi slicing through the air toward his opponent.
Sensing the incoming energy from behind,
The front-runner hastily flipped around to defend himself.
Boom!
“Gak!”
With the sound of Qi bursting, his body flew through the air, rolling on the ground.
“Kuugh…!”
The martial artist tumbled along the ground, letting out pained breaths.
He hadn’t sustained any significant injuries, but
“Hah…”
The pursuer had already cozied up in front of him.
And that was the end of it.
The man, now feeling the wooden sword right at his nose, screamed in frustration.
“How can it be this relentless…! Can’t I just catch a demon beast leisurely? Why’re you on my tail like this?!”
“I sincerely apologize. I didn’t mean to get riled up.”
As the late bloomer cried in lament, the one who released the Qi smiled awkwardly.
“Guh… damn it…!”
Despite furiously cursing,
Gu Jeolyub paid him no mind.
After enduring all sorts of craziness the past few years,
Such a little annoyance was almost cute.
Thud!
He snatched the blue belt from the arm of the late bloomer and hugged it close.
The man who lost his belt looked pitifully at Gu Jeolyub.
But Gu Jeolyub merely smiled back.
“There’s still plenty of time, so you’ll be fine.”
“That’s a very comforting phrase.”
After their brief exchange,
Gu Jeolyub set off to find a hiding spot.
“I was lucky.”
He thought as he walked.
I was really fortunate.
To run into a martial artist holding a blue belt right at the start of the exam.
“I guess this test might be easier than expected.”
My self-esteem received a slight boost.
In reality, I didn’t feel anything exceptionally difficult throughout the test.
Not even in the first or second examinations.
At that moment, Gu Jeolyub realized that among the sea of late bloomers flooding through the renowned families and schools,
He held his own at a somewhat respectable level.
“I… might be a bit strong.”
He felt a swell of pride.
After all that rolling around, it turns out it wasn’t in vain.
Martial artists around Gu Jeolyub were mostly
Folks like Geom Moohee, Seol Bong… and Muyeon — those type of folks.
Even if they were all growing, the sense of substantial growth didn’t quite click.
“The martial artist I just encountered… he was definitely a member of the Seven Stars Sect.”
Each of them was a well-known descendant from families he recognized.
While not at the Gu Family level, still considerable names among the regions.
“But he was utterly weak.”
This felt far too weak to be a martial artist from such a place.
To be honest, every martial artist he encountered during the exams had that same vibe.
Now reflecting on it,
“Am I strong?”
That might be due to Gu Jeolyub’s level being significantly elevated.
Compared to the other late bloomers around him.
A smile crept onto his lips.
After being bullied all day and crashing down to the depths of self-esteem,
That’s how he felt himself rising once more.
“Should I be thanking First Young Master for this?”
He knew that he had received a tangible degree of help from Gu Yangcheon in his growth.
After all those rigorous sparring sessions disguised as training.
He understood those experiences had genuinely aided his progression.
But,
“No, that’s not right.”
No matter what, he couldn’t express gratitude to that devil of a person.
It would be more appropriate to thank the neighborhood stray dog…
Crunch.
“…!”
A sound of crunching leaves came from behind.
Feeling a presence, Gu Jeolyub immediately shifted into a combat stance.
“…Huh?”
As he turned to the direction of the sensed presence,
There stood
“No way, they say a tiger appears when you speak of it…”
“You seem to be in a good mood?”
It was the devil… no, Gu Yangcheon was there.
Hiding his surprise, Gu Jeolyub asked,
“Why is First Young Master here…?”
“I’m also here to take the exam; why not? What’s the problem?”
“Ah, no… it’s nothing…”
Oh no.
A thought crossed Gu Jeolyub’s mind without warning.
What are the odds of running into that guy in a situation like this?
“No… are we sure this is just coincidence?”
It was more likely that he wasn’t in the wrong; yet, Gu Jeolyub felt instead like this meeting with Gu Yangcheon wasn’t a chance occurrence.
As that speculation drifted through his mind, he wiped the cold sweat from his brow when
Gu Yangcheon grinned and said,
“You… you grabbed something nice earlier, didn’t you?”
‘…Son of a…’
Gu Yangcheon’s cheerful words made Gu Jeolyub internally unleash a string of profanities.
“First Young Master… please, don’t do this.”
“What’s wrong with what I’m saying? If I don’t say it, what then?”
“Aren’t we family?”
“Family my ass; just because we have the same surname doesn’t mean we’re all family! Only during times like this we’re family! When it’s time for training, you’re the first to run away!”
“…”
If I had to endure such sparring every day, I’d probably really end up dead!
What am I supposed to do?
As Gu Jeolyub internally expressed hopelessness,
Gu Yangcheon, with nimble motions, reached out with a hand, saying,
“Hand it over.”
In his hand were the red and yellow belts.
Watching this, Gu Jeolyub felt all sorts of curses bubbling up inside.
“…”
But there was no other choice.
He knew well that if he refused, the outcome wouldn’t be pretty.
“This is getting ridiculous…”
That devilish bastard could handle even that.
“As if I’m getting any stronger…”
The little boost in self-esteem he’d just felt was trampled down once more.
With trembling hands, Gu Jeolyub handed over the blue belt to Gu Yangcheon.
It had barely been in contact for just a fraction of a second.
“Guh.”
He stifled a sound of frustration, yet
That wasn’t enough to warrant any mercy.
Once Gu Yangcheon received the blue belt, he simply stared at Gu Jeolyub.
As Gu Jeolyub wiped the cold sweat from his brow under that intense gaze,
“What are you doing?”
“Huh…?”
Gu Yangcheon replied, seemingly dumbfounded.
“Why are you only giving me one?”
“What do you mean by that?”
“If you’re going to give it to me, give them all three.”
“What?”
The needed belts were three in total,
And since Gu Yangcheon just got that one, he shouldn’t need any more, right?
When Gu Jeolyub asked for clarification,
Gu Yangcheon smirked and said,
“Hand over all three.”
“No way…! Why should I do that when you already have them all?”
Gu Jeolyub put forth a thoroughly aggrieved reaction.
I mean, what’s his reasoning behind that?
It was a rather inefficient proposition, but
Gu Yangcheon stated it matter-of-factly.
“You’ve come this far. You ought to sweat a little, Jeolyub. Such hardship is flesh and blood for you, you know? I’m not saying this because I think it’s entertaining to watch you struggle.”
“…”
As Gu Jeolyub wore a look of sheer disbelief,
The smile on Gu Yangcheon’s face faded.
“If you don’t want to get slapped, hurry & hand it over. Three… two…”
Startled, Gu Jeolyub quickly surrendered all the belts he had.
Indeed,
This bastard really is a devil.
After almost reducing Gu Jeolyub to tears and snatching away the belts,
As Gu Yangcheon walked along, he pondered,
“Seriously, if that brat relaxes just a bit, he’ll go straight to his head.”
It made him think of Gu Jeolyub, who’d felt so accomplished after beating a late bloomer one or two times.
“Without any vigilance, acting like their life is a festival.”
Coincidentally, he found something.
After following him for a bit,
He thought it was fine that Gu Jeolyub took the belts from someone.
Initially, he planned to only snatch the blue belt.
“Being so careless.”
Even after deliberately making his presence known, Gu Jeolyub didn’t even sense him sneaking up right behind.
Not to mention,
“What a smug expression.”
Was he really that great of a guy?
That absolute arrogance on display was difficult to watch.
It’s quite evident.
Just because he got a bit of praise and grew a little taller among the kids, he started puffing up like a peacock.
“Was I really that easygoing?”
Or maybe he’s become so comfortable with skating by.
Whatever the case, it wasn’t a sight that sat well with him.
“This is the time for hardship. He needs to tighten up.”
He thought while pocketing the belts.
To procure the three again, he’d likely have to endure some hardship.
Of course, he didn’t think he wouldn’t be able to achieve it by the end.
He’d ultimately hand the belts back he had taken from Gu Jeolyub.
“When that happens, I’ll have more justification to give him a rough time.”
That didn’t seem too bad, either.
“By the way.”
Since he’d gathered all three,
It felt like he should take it easy for a while, but
There was still one goading thought lingering.
“Why are you still following me?”
He muttered as he cast a glance sideways.
Right after the test began,
Someone had been following him the entire time.
By now, he had figured out who it was.
Within the late bloomers,
The only person who could follow him around like this was, in his eyes, one person.
Honestly, he wanted to escape if he could.
But given the circumstances, running away from that individual was going to be impossible.
“Is there something you need…?”
Whomp!
As he asked, seemingly incredulous,
In that instant, a massive boom erupted from beyond.
The sound of Qi bursting.
Something flew at him with tremendous speed.
‘That’s fast.’
Way faster than expected.
A black object hurtled in and
In an instant, gripped his neck, dragging him across the ground.
Boom!
“Cough!”
He was dragged across the ground, throat constricting.
Heavy.
Though he had preemptively raised his Qi to handle situations like this.
‘This crazy thing.’
He was far stronger than expected.
As he racked his brain, struggling for a response,
“There’s something I need to ask.”
The individual who had half subdued him queried.
In stark contrast to the unprecedented strength exhibited,
The voice that came through was unnervingly calm.
He steadied himself, channeling Qi, as he locked eyes with his opponent.
An endless void of black loomed before him.
Those damned pupils remained unfathomable.
“You.”
An elite combatant, Beiju.
Or the fierce Dragon Knight, Bi Eujin.
The identity of the individual who ambushed him.
“What are you up to?”
“…I’m not…”
It was unreasonable to be ambushed, and in a test of all places, one could forgive that.
But this question seemed absurdly out of place.
“That power from before was definitely not something a mere peak-level martial artist can exert.”
It seems he was referring to the moment he detonated that energy.
‘Was that the issue?’
Though he had flaunted his power,
It shouldn’t have been a major concern, right?
“So I want to know. Is that overwhelming talent real, or is it something else entirely?”
Crunch.
The grip tightened around his neck.
This was serious.
It seemed that this insane individual genuinely intended to snap his neck.
‘Is he nuts?’
Given the strict prohibition against lethal force in this test,
Had he been too complacent in his thinking?
After all, someone of his stature wouldn’t likely care much about that.
“Damn it.”
Thud! He grabbed the ambusher’s wrist where his fingers clutched his throat.
And then—
Whoosh!
He raised his Qi.
Rumble-
Once his energy surged beyond a limit, the internal injuries cried out.
Indeed, if he hesitated any further, he would be in truly dire straits.
‘He’s just been idle for days.’
Though it appeared he had a purpose by watching him.
Since their encounter, he’d merely been observing for a while.
Could it be he was waiting for this exact moment?
That could very well be the case.
As he concentrated the heat throughout his body,
He began to gather it into a single point.
“…!”
It seemed the elite recognized his movements just as he ventured forth, but
He was quicker.
Kaboom!
He released his energy outward.
It felt like his energy was quickly escaping, but
At present, he had no option.
The backlash sent the combat expert hurtling away.
Thud!
From afar, the sound of a heavy impact echoed.
“Cough… cough.”
Only then could he hastily rise, catching his breath.
‘He was supposedly wrecked by the half-weight reverse flow.’
I had no idea how much he had gradually recovered during this ordeal.
The mounting pressure was nothing trivial, even if just momentarily.
Suddenly, what in the world is going on?
Is this punishment for having talked down to Gu Jeolyub earlier?
But I can’t just stop ribbing him now.
Pitter-patter.
The pressure from all around whipped up dust.
Ultimately, this was just to knock him aside for a moment.
He scanned his surroundings, searching for an avenue of escape.
Now having been apprehended once, it was blatantly clear
That in his current state, he wouldn’t be able to face that individual.
“I gotta scram.”
If this was the case, he should have run the moment he sensed someone trailing him.
But staying behind like a fool led to this massive setback.
Gathering his Qi in his toes, should he sprint off quickly…
“Not bad.”
“What…?”
The voice came from behind, not in the direction he had escaped.
“I definitely can’t let this go.”
Before he knew it, the elite had already closed in on him and was right behind him.
‘Was Gu Jeolyub genuinely feeling like this?’
This was terribly frightening.
To break free from an elite expert’s grip,
It felt like he would need to spend every last remaining bit of strength.
“Heh.”
The elite’s voice queried.
“Do you have a master, perhaps?”
“…Huh?”
What was that?
He might have just heard something strange. Unconsciously, he glanced at the elite,
Yet the following statement was even more nonsensical.
“If you don’t, how about our master? He just so happens to be recruiting disciples.”
“…”
Could it be?
Was it another side effect of the reverse flow?
He seriously wondered.
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