Chapter 5
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Translator: 8uhl
Chapter: 5
Chapter Title: What Happens When You Give It Your All
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For Ha Yuseong, failure was something to be feared, but it was also something familiar.
That was why he wasn't disappointed after messing up the written exam.
Though the outcome of the unfinished test was painfully obvious, Ha Yuseong steeled himself to take the remaining practical exams.
'It's not like I actually expected to pass.'
To survive long in the treacherous martial world, nothing was more important than knowing your place.
It was the very reason Ha Yuseong, a mere third-rate warrior, had managed to survive for over thirty years.
Proctors positioned themselves one by one in front of each applicant.
"The practical exam will now begin. This test is to assess your physical abilities, so follow the proctors' instructions carefully!"
With the Fierce Tiger Sword's announcement, the exam started.
The proctor in a black uniform standing before Ha Yuseong spoke.
"Applicant 893, is your name Ha Yuseong?"
Ha Yuseong wasn't sure if he was number 893, but the name was correct, so he answered.
"Yes, sir! I am Ha Yuseong."
"Then, we will now begin the practical exam. The test consists of three parts."
Three parts!
"First, strength. Second, stamina. Third, eyesight."
The proctor continued his kind explanation.
"These three abilities are the most essential for carrying out the Murim Alliance's missions. Therefore, we use them to determine beforehand whether you are a suitable candidate for the Alliance."
The proctor led Ha Yuseong somewhere. Other applicants were already walking ahead.
*Gulp*.
Ha Yuseong swallowed hard, his nervousness palpable.
A short while later, they arrived at a training ground of immense size.
"It's huge."
Incredibly so!
Ha Yuseong expressed his feelings plainly. He wasn't so young as to behave undignifiedly in front of a proctor, even if his appearance suggested otherwise.
"This is the First Training Ground. It's normally a place for members of the Murim Alliance to train freely, but it has been specially closed off for today's exam."
The proctor's face was filled with pride for the Murim Alliance as he spoke.
Countless iron weights were laid out across the training ground.
"Come this way."
The proctor pointed to the smallest of the iron weights. The weights grew in size as they went down the line, with the one at the very end being larger than a person.
"From now on, you may use any method you wish. Your task for this test is to lift as many iron weights as you can, in order. If you understand, you may begin!"
"Yes, sir!"
Other applicants had already started lifting the weights. Ha Yuseong could see that this was the simplest and most accurate way to test strength.
Simply lifting something heavy.
'Unlike swordsmanship or footwork, strength is a simple thing.'
And for that reason, it was all the more revealing.
Ha Yuseong lifted the first iron weight.
It was light.
'As expected, the first one isn't difficult.'
"Next!"
Following the proctor's command, Ha Yuseong began lifting the weights next to it.
And then.
It was around the time he lifted the seventh weight.
Ha Yuseong subtly glanced around.
Most of the applicants failed at the seventh and turned back. Less than half had reached the eighth weight, as he had.
'This is still manageable.'
"Heave-ho!"
Ha Yuseong lightly lifted an iron weight the size of his torso.
"N-next!"
For the first time, the proctor stuttered. Ha Yuseong paid it no mind and moved on.
Reaching the ninth iron weight, Ha Yuseong once again looked around.
The number of remaining applicants had been halved again.
Now, he could count them with his own eyes.
'As expected of the Murim Alliance. There are still that many left. I can't lose either.'
"Heave-ho!"
He lifted the ninth weight with ease. It was still quite manageable.
And when he reached the tenth iron weight.
"Huh?"
Ha Yuseong noticed something strange for the first time.
He was the only one left in the vast training ground.
＊
The proctor, a 3rd-class warrior named Lee Jacheong, was struggling to keep his jaw from dropping.
The current test had been refined over countless trials and years to become a very objective measure.
'The weights after the ninth are just for show.'
The tenth weight was 100 gwan.
Lifting it required at least a full sixty years' worth of internal energy, even assuming one used it.
Possessing sixty years of internal energy was an overwhelming indicator that could bypass the entrance exam requirements entirely.
'It's also the clearest indicator of talent.'
Therefore, the moment this applicant lifted the ninth weight, he had essentially earned a perfect score on the second practical test.
It should have ended here.
The goal of this test had already been achieved.
"I will lift it."
While he was staring blankly in shock, the applicant had already reached the tenth weight.
"W-wait!"
The tenth weight and beyond were only there for appearances.
It weighed 200 gwan.
*Fwoosh!*
He could see the weight being lifted above the applicant's head.
The applicant then set the weight back down on the ground.
*Thud!*
"Phew! That was a little heavy. The Murim Alliance is truly something else."
'What in the world is this guy?'
Could it be?
'Is he an illegitimate son from the Hwangbo or Paeng Family?'
Most of the muscle-heads in the martial world hailed from one of those two families.
As the applicant stood before the eleventh weight.
Proctor Lee Jacheong couldn't help but ask.
"Who is your father?"
"He passed away."
"Is that so?"
"Yes."
"My apologies."
"It's quite all right."
The current heads of the Paeng and Hwangbo Families were alive. Unless the applicant was a patricide, his words must be true.
And Lee Jacheong had another question. This was the part he couldn't understand at all.
"But why haven't you used any internal energy until now?"
The applicant's face flushed red at the question.
As if a secret he didn't want revealed had been exposed.
"Well, I don't have any internal energy."
"You don't?"
A lie!
"Yes. The technique I learned is the Three Talents Divine Art, and it doesn't seem to accumulate any internal energy."
Ha Yuseong omitted the part about practicing it for thirty years.
In any case, it was a perfectly reasonable statement. Who in the martial world would try to accumulate internal energy with something like the Three Talents Divine Art?
The Three Talents Divine Art wasn't a cultivation method for gathering internal energy, but rather a kind of preparatory exercise used to pave the way before learning a proper technique.
"So you're saying you haven't used a single shred of internal energy this whole time?"
"That's right."
At his confident reply, Lee Jacheong fell into even greater confusion.
"Well then, I'll lift the eleventh one."
Having messed up the written exam, Ha Yuseong felt he needed to make up for it in the practicals, so he was giving it his all.
The tenth weight just now had been a little heavy.
Even if he tried his best from here on, he could probably manage one or two more at most.
'I wanted to go all the way.'
What if I had learned to cultivate internal energy?
Could I have lifted all twenty weights laid out here?
With that, Ha Yuseong lifted the eleventh weight, which he thought might be his last.
"Heave-ho!"
As he lifted it, he knew instinctively.
His arms and legs were trembling.
This was his limit.
Seeing this, Lee Jacheong's mouth hung open for the first time.
Unlike the previous ones, the eleventh weight was a staggering 300 gwan.
And so, Ha Yuseong's first practical exam came to an end.
* * *
The second practical exam began.
"The stamina test is a run. You see that mountain over there? You just need to touch the summit and come back down. However, the test ends at sunset, so you'll have to be quick."
This time, Lee Jacheong was certain he would discover the applicant's true worth.
'He might have been lucky enough to be born with divine strength.'
But stamina was different.
'If strength is the realm of talent, stamina is purely the realm of effort.'
It was the clearest indicator of how much effort this person named Ha Yuseong had put in.
Furthermore, the mountain for the second test was Mount Song, one of the Five Great Mountains, renowned for its treacherousness.
Naturally, the test wasn't designed with the expectation that applicants would actually reach the summit.
Proctors were positioned midway up the path, and when an applicant was about to give up, they would appear and give them a piece of cloth indicating how far they had climbed. That would mark the end of the test.
The result of the test was determined by the color of the cloth given.
The darker the color, the higher one had climbed.
"Well then, I'll be on my way."
Watching him run, it didn't seem like he had learned any special movement techniques. That meant the best he could hope for was a yellow cloth.
'He should be back in about two hours.'
…Two hours later, Lee Jacheong yawned widely as he looked up at the sky.
"Why isn't he back?"
The sun was still in the sky.
"Looks like he's taking longer than I thought."
The sun began to set, casting a twilight glow.
"Hmm? Don't tell me he ran off?"
The second practical exam was the one with the most dropouts.
"What a shame. It's been a while since I met such an interesting applicant."
He must have been a repeat applicant who had prepared only for the first test. For all he knew, this might be his third or fourth attempt at the Murim Alliance entrance exam.
The sun set completely, and the sky was painted pitch black.
"Nothing special this year either."
Lee Jacheong volunteered as a proctor every year, as watching the new applicants was one of his hobbies.
"I'll have to mark him as failed."
Just as Lee Jacheong was about to tear up the test sheet in his hand, he saw a dot in the distance.
"No way!"
The dot quickly grew larger, took the shape of a person, and soon became someone Lee Jacheong recognized.
"Hoo-hoo! I'm back. It's been a while since I've gone hiking, so I feel quite refreshed."
The applicant, Ha Yuseong, held out a black cloth.
"Black?"
"Yes. It was at the summit."
"You went all the way to the summit?"
"Yes."
The black cloth was just nominally placed at the summit. Of course, they never thought any applicant would actually reach it.
"Haha!"
Lee Jacheong, bursting into laughter out of sheer disbelief, looked forward to the third and final test with gleaming eyes.
'Someone must have leaked information about the second test to him.'
It was common practice for insiders to secretly engage in such acts.
'Right. He said he came with a recommendation. I don't know who it is, but he must have some powerful backing. To think he had a black cloth on him beforehand.'
But he wouldn't be able to cheat on the third test!
Because the third test would be personally observed by the Fierce Tiger Sword himself.
'I'll correct your arrogant attitude for looking down on the Murim Alliance!'
"We will now begin the third test, the eyesight exam."
As Ha Yuseong was the last to arrive from the second test, all the other applicants had already finished by the time the third test began, leaving him alone.
Moreover, since it was already night, Ha Yuseong was at a great disadvantage.
The test hadn't been designed with the expectation that it would continue so late into the night.
Furthermore, the Fierce Tiger Sword offered Ha Yuseong no special consideration.
"You're the last one."
"Yes, sir!"
"The test is simple. You see this rubber ball here."
"Yes, sir! I see it."
"A specific number or character is written on this rubber ball. Here, I'll show you."
Ha Yuseong looked at the ball the Fierce Tiger Sword held out.
Indeed, the character for 'Heaven' (天) was written on it.
"Yes, sir! I've confirmed it!"
"Your answers are very spirited. From now on, I will throw the ball from the opposite side. You just have to look at the incoming ball and tell me what's written on it. With each turn, the ball's speed will increase. Are you ready?"
"Yes, sir! I'm ready whenever you are."
"Good. Then, here I go."
The Fierce Tiger Sword threw the ball lightly for the first time.
*Stare!*
Ha Yuseong's eyes widened as he answered.
"It's 'Ten Thousand' (萬)!"
"Good. Correct. Next."
*Stare!*
"It's 'Emptiness' (空)!"
"Hoh! Correct. Next."
It had been a long time since an applicant had reached the third throw. The Fierce Tiger Sword was getting excited.
So, without realizing it, he began to channel his internal energy.
Power flowed into his drawn-back arm and his waist.
His muscles bulged, and he felt a sense of elation as internal energy spread appropriately throughout his body.
He meant to take a light step forward, but—
*Thump!*
A small cloud of dust rose from where his foot touched the ground.
He had accidentally stomped with his full power.
'Huh?'
As the ball left his hand, the Fierce Tiger Sword realized he had gotten too caught up in the excitement and used a little more internal energy and strength than he had intended.
'There's no way an applicant can see this.'
*Stare!*
"It's 'This' (此)!"
'Eh?'
When there was no reaction from the Fierce Tiger Sword, Ha Yuseong was disappointed.
"Ah… I must have gotten it wrong. It was blurry, so I wasn't confident this time."
He got it right?
This kid is interesting.
The Fierce Tiger Sword spoke.
"You are correct."
Ha Yuseong let out a sigh of relief.
"Phew!"