The Array Test
Today's duty at the clinic fell to Physician Yang, and Jang Chil was next in line to assist him.>
But beyond Jang Chil, the clinic's servants were all still gathered, unwilling to leave.>
Were there too many patients?>
No.>
Emergencies during shifts were rare, after all.>
Martial artists generally took nights off too.>
The servants remained for one reason only: waiting for the result!>
Under Jong Hak-jin's leadership, an old-fashioned wager had finally been arranged.>
“Now that I've said it, no matter how much of a master Physician Yuseong is… this isn't medicine, and competing against those sharp military strategists in arrays is going to be tough…”>
The servants who had bet on Yuseong's defeat nodded vigorously.>
“That's right. If the opponents weren't just the military types, maybe we'd have a chance, but they all learned arrays, right?”>
“Of course. They're the smartest people in the world, so plenty of them must have studied arrays. Over ten showed up just for this. Even Deputy Strategist Ugiwan participated.”>
The servants chimed in with their own opinions, eager to break the ice.>
Jong Hak-jin watched with a grin.>
The smile of a winner!>
Jong Hak-jin had once bet everything he owned on Baek Yuseong's victory during a life-and-death fight at Pengji Mountain, but this time he saw no chance of winning.>
On the other hand…>
One servant gave a direct counterargument.>
“Brother Jong, even if it's for old times' sake, how can the clinic master lose? What nonsense is that?”>
“Haha! Jang Chil, that's just how the game goes. You have to be in the mix for the wager to happen, right? Thanks.”>
Only Jang Chil had bet on Yuseong's victory.>
Jang Chil had saved honestly, scraping together every coin for his blind mother's treatment, but after Yuseong healed her eyes and restored her to work, the servants gradually joined in too.>
And today, seeing no one betting against Yuseong, Jong Hak-jin had started the wager out of pure spite—the first time he ever participated.>
Regretting it a little for being tricked into a huge bet, yet…>
“Still, I have to root for the clinic master.”>
Money could always be earned again.>
Jang Chil had no idea what Yuseong was thinking when he entered the test, but he would cheer for anything the master wanted.>
“I'll have to tighten my belt for a while.”>
The sizzling meat soup in front of him disappeared.>
He had already caught up with Jong Hak-jin and the other servants discussing where to eat after the test.>
*** >
The participants sat spread out across the wide open ground, leaving plenty of space for the arrays.>
Each seat held a test sheet with the task written on it, and beside it lay blank paper.>
Natural materials like rocks were among the allowed items.>
Using natural objects made the calculations far more complex, since no inner energy could be stored artificially, perfect accuracy was mandatory.>
The blank paper was explained as free to use for calculations when needed.>
“Then begin the test. Raise your hand when you complete an array!”>
With the supervisor's command, the sound of pages flipping rushed across the field.>
Yuseong glanced at his sheet.>
Three arrays awaited him: the first was the Concealment Array that could hide one person, the second the Phantom Array, and the third the Labyrinth Array.>
Yuseong reached out without hesitation and picked up over a dozen rocks.>
He began placing them at precise intervals in the left empty space.>
Not a single movement faltered in his hands.>
The High Innate Comprehension trait was working overtime, calculating exactly what he needed in real time.>
Plug in any variables and the desired result popped out from any math formula he knew.>
Thanks to the formulas he had practiced earlier for the water flow, his calculations were even faster than when Jegal Yeong-yeong had gasped in admiration.>
“Already?”>
While others carefully wrote notes and calculated, Yuseong moved immediately, drawing a strange look from the supervisor.>
The foundation of arrays was twisting natural energy with rules.>
Place an object like a rock correctly, and the energy would twist into a special effect.>
But twisting natural energy to produce the desired phenomenon was never easy.>
If the point where the energy twisted didn't line up perfectly, nothing happened at all.>
That was why everyone else took such care—accuracy was everything.>
“Tsk…”>
The supervisor clicked his tongue.>
He had already dismissed Yuseong's chances when he learned the clinic master was participating, thinking the master was simply killing time for fun.>
“Just like that. He probably entered just for the entertainment.”>
He shook his head.>
Still, Yuseong's quick placement of the rocks continued to impress.>
“Impressive appearance.”>
Next, Tae Jeong-heon and Ugiwan began gripping rocks.>
The moment they tried to place one, Yuseong's hand shot straight up into the sky.>
“What's the matter, Clinic Master?”>
The supervisor had personally ordered a hand raise upon completion, yet he had ruled out any possibility of success.>
With only a few casually placed rocks, he didn't expect a proper array to form.>
“It's finished.”>
The participants' gazes all turned to Yuseong as they worked on their own tests.>
“…”>
Ugiwan quickly checked Yuseong's placement too.>
Even in the same space, the variables mattered.>
Simply copying the positions wouldn't make the array work.>
Rough positions were set, but Yuseong's placement was well within the normal range.>
“Unexpectedly good… but if even similar placements aren't accurate, it's useless. And the clinic master didn't even calculate properly. Maybe he just memorized the shape?”>
Such questions made Yuseong's speed impossible to understand.>
At that moment…>
A soft thud came from the next seat.>
“Oops! Tae Jeong-heon is still doing his own test!”>
Yuseong's array wouldn't work properly if he finished first.>
Then it would be a direct contest with Tae Jeong-heon—he couldn't lose to a competitor.>
Ugiwan hurriedly finished his own array.>
“Check it.”>
“Yes.”>
The supervisor's order sent people to experience the arrays personally.>
He would step into Yuseong's array to test its effect himself.>
“And declare it a fake.”>
Ugiwan's hands sped up.>
He placed stones slightly faster than Tae Jeong-heon, by about half a stone.>
Their gazes met briefly in the air.>
Thud, thud, thud…>
They placed stones one after another.>
“Not bad, but…”>
The last stone was placed, and all three arrays were complete.>
Whoosh!>
Ugiwan's hand rose into the sky faster than Tae Jeong-heon's.>
“I won!”>
Tae Jeong-heon's face showed disappointment as he hesitated to raise his hand.>
Ugiwan grinned.>
The calculations were perfect.>
All that remained was to confirm the array's effect before Tae Jeong-heon's, earning the Fist King's trust.>
At that moment…>
“The Concealment Array is flawless!”>
“What?!”>
The array that had looked sloppy really worked?>
“No, just one! The other two must also be accurate to pass!”>
While Ugiwan hesitated, someone approached the Phantom Array side.>
“Hah!”>
He quickly covered his head and curled up.>
“…”>
Anyone unfamiliar would have found it ridiculous, but this was the array test ground.>
The martial artists' expressions turned grim instantly.>
“The Phantom Array works too! Please, let the Labyrinth be wrong!”>
But…>
A person had stepped out of Yuseong's array, confirming even the Labyrinth.>
The supervisor hesitated before shouting.>
“The clinic master completed all three arrays first and most accurately!”>
Stunned.>
Ugiwan sat down without even getting to show his second array.>
Someone quickly passed by.>
“Clinic Master! Truly amazing! I never knew you had such deep insight into arrays too. I was in awe!”>
Tae Jeong-heon rushed over, shouting as he reached Yuseong.>
“No need. I barely won with the basic array. I don't know the others at all.”>
“Oh my, if even the Jegal family starts learning arrays, I won't stand a chance next to you. Though it's still impossible right now!”>
Even after losing, Tae Jeong-heon chatted cheerfully with Yuseong.>
“This is unbelievable. Tae Jeong-heon has so much to learn!”>
Tae Jeong-heon's burning desire was clear from his seat next to him.>
Yet he ran to the winner while hiding his disappointment.>
Ugiwan was shocked by the sycophantic behavior.>
“Good. If I lack anything, I'll make up for it.”>
Ugiwan stood up.>
He relaxed his frozen face.>
“Clinic Master! I misjudged you all this time! Following Huatuo's legendary medical skill with array mastery too, you'll soon be famous as the world's greatest array expert!”>
The other military strategists' eyes widened at Ugiwan's sudden change in attitude.>
They exchanged glances and followed their superiors' lead.>
They ran to Yuseong, offering congratulations one after another.