The Outcome Was Decided in an Instant

The second test ended with a heavy thud. The match was settled in a single instant. No matter how much endurance he had, the opponent couldn't withstand two consecutive blows that rattled his brain. His massive frame simply crumpled to the ground.

I bent down, retrieved the armband marked with Ji, and—just to be safe—held a finger under the unconscious man's nose. A steady breath. Good. Still, he was so large that leaving him sprawled out would inconvenience everyone else, so I dragged him off to the side. Only then did I stretch with a satisfied sigh.

"Nngh!"

That brought my collection to the full ten armbands. It had gone much faster than I'd expected, but extra time is never a bad thing. I glanced around.

"Huh?"

If I wasn't imagining it, this particular area seemed completely empty of people.

"Are you done?"

"Ah, yeah."

Dokgo Rin approached as if it were the most natural thing in the world. I nodded without thinking, then noticed the absurd number of armbands clutched in her hand and immediately understood why the area was so deserted.

"Since they're all competitors anyway, I put in a little effort."

Dozens of paper armbands filled her hands. I could only stare.

"I-I see."

Once again, the overwhelming gap in our abilities hit me like a truck.

I must never get cocky.

The first test officially ended exactly one hour after it began.

"All failed applicants, please exit the academy grounds!"

Those who hadn't gathered ten armbands before time ran out, along with the ones eliminated early after losing their bands, poured out in a great wave. When the dust settled, roughly eight hundred people remained inside the academy grounds.

The first examiner, the Peak Sword Un Gi-ik, had predicted the numbers would drop to about a tenth. In reality, even more had been culled. The short time limit probably left many unable to collect all ten bands. Some of those who barely missed the cut threw tantrums, screaming that this had been their last chance. The Murim Alliance warriors waiting on standby for everyone's safety quickly subdued them and dragged them outside.

Once all the mediocre talents were gone, the remaining eight hundred looked like they each had at least some real skill.

But why does everyone look so old?

I was sure the eligible age was fourteen to twenty, yet plenty of these people appeared to be in their twenties or thirties. Ancient people might not have used sunscreen and spent all day under the scorching sun, but this seemed a bit extreme. I refreshed my eyes by admiring the handful of genuine beauties, then turned my attention to the middle-aged female master stepping onto the platform as the second test's supervisor.

She must have been famous, just like the first examiner. The applicants were already buzzing.

"It's the Sword Queen."

"Why is the Sword Queen here as an examiner?"

‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠

"Does that mean she's become an instructor at the Heavenly Martial Academy this year?"

Sword Queen. The title originally referred to the sect leader of Botamun, a faction of female monks. But as the murim world moved from old-school to new-school stories, it became the designation for the strongest female martial artist in the gangho. Since The Heavenly Poison Witch never once mentioned a Sword Queen, I couldn't tell whether the woman before us belonged to the original lore or the newer interpretation. Her long hair suggested the latter, but honestly, with Korean murim logic, either was possible.

Anyway, the middle-aged master known as the Sword Queen cleared her throat softly once all eyes were on her.

She swept her gaze across our faces and offered a faint smile.

Then, as if it had just occurred to her, she let out a small "Ah."

"Come to think of it, I haven't explained the content of the second test. From now on, each of you will engage in friendly sparring matches against ten martial artists prepared by the academy. With eight hundred people remaining, that works out to roughly eighty opponents per examiner. To keep things reasonable, let us add one restriction: each match must conclude within ten exchanges. How does that sound?"

The applicants immediately began murmuring. They looked confused about how anyone could possibly finish a fight in only ten exchanges. The Sword Queen cut through the noise with a sharp remark.

She had phrased it politely, but the message was clear: stop whining and fight first. The examiner had no intention of changing the rules, and most applicants realized the exam would never proceed if they kept complaining. In the end, they reluctantly accepted the terms. After all, what choice did they have? If they didn't like it, they could always try again next year.

And so the second test began.

The ten examiners drafted for the matches turned out to be graduates of the Heavenly Martial Academy now serving in the Four Gods Unit, a combat organization under the Murim Alliance. In other words, they were the finished versions of what we fledgling applicants hoped to become. Just as the Sword Queen warned, the vast majority couldn't even last one exchange, let alone ten. Many grumbled that the difficulty was too high, but she shut them down firmly: anyone who couldn't handle this much would never survive inside the academy anyway.

The matches proceeded in order. Since most lasted anywhere from five to thirty seconds, turns came around quickly.

"Applicant number 513?"

"Yes."

I stepped forward when my number was called. My opponent was a solidly built martial artist.

"No need to be too nervous. Come at me whenever you're ready."

He opened his stance invitingly. At first glance it looked full of gaps, but the more I looked, the less I saw any actual ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠openings.

As expected, a graduate isn't going to be easy.

I clenched my fists and studied him carefully. Slender overall, but his left arm was noticeably more developed than the right. High chance he was left-handed. If he used a left-hand sword style, the blade on his right hip was probably a spare. Still, I couldn't let my guard down—most left-handers could fight with both hands if needed.

Overthinking every possibility would only paralyze me, so I chose a straightforward frontal assault.

"Hup—"

I drew qi from my dantian and gathered it into both fists. If he'd shown even the slightest opening, I would have used Butterfly Flies Bee Stings for a surprise attack. But he didn't look careless at all. That left me with the best available option: smash through his solid defense and force him to reveal a weakness. The perfect technique for that was the fourth form of the Tang Family Fist—Ant Dike Breach.

"Here I come!"

After the polite warning, I closed the distance instantly with Leap Step.

"!"

Surprise flashed across the man's face at the sudden approach, but his eyes still tracked my ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠every movement. Definitely not a pushover. When he reached for the sword at his right hip, I checked his hand with a punch.

Clang!

He was slightly faster. Not having time to fully draw, he blocked my fist with the scabbard itself. Since I'd already closed the gap, retreating wasn't an option. I pressed the attack, turning it into a messy brawl.

Second strike. Third. Fourth.

The exchange count climbed rapidly. ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠Before long, the "friendly" spar had become a battle of pride: him trying to draw his sword, me doing everything possible to stop him. I instinctively knew I wouldn't stand a chance once that blade left its sheath. Besides, Ant Dike Breach was designed to hammer the same spot repeatedly until the opponent was forced to expose a weakness.

Finally, on the eighth exchange, he managed to draw his sword. With only two exchanges left before the match would end, I decided to gamble.

I feinted another punch at his weapon, then completely changed my rhythm and targeted his now-defenseless upper body. Putting my full weight behind it, I unleashed an overhead kick. The entire reason I'd stuck exclusively to punches until now was to set up this exact moment.