Chapter 6
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Translator: 8uhl
Chapter: 6
Chapter Title: Accepted
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Accepted.
To the righteous, the name Murim Alliance was an object of aspiration, an idol they revered.
For Ha Yuseong, this moment was the realization of a lifelong dream, a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity that might also be his last.
So, Ha Yuseong steeled his resolve.
‘I’ll do my best. Even if I fail, I’ll leave no regrets.’
Focus.
To anyone else, this might not have seemed like a significant change.
But for Ha Yuseong, who had undergone a Rebirth, ‘focus’ held a slightly different meaning.
If the pinnacle of martial arts, honing one's internal energy, is called the state of Transformation, then Rebirth is the apex of what the physical body can achieve.
Though he himself might not have known it.
Hoo.
He calmly exhaled a deep breath.
Shhhh.
The skin all over his body tingled as his senses sharpened.
Naturally, he began to see things that were previously invisible to him.
The dust floating in the air.
The subtle movements of the Fierce Tiger Sword's muscles.
And his breath.
And even foreign sensations he couldn't yet understand.
Everything understandable and everything incomprehensible was melting into his senses.
If anyone had known of Ha Yuseong's current state, they would have been astonished, but unfortunately, there was no one here who could recognize the state he had entered.
For even in its nascent form, this was the initial stage of achieving the Union of Sword and Spirit.
To put it another way, it was the state of Oneness with Nature, the very first step toward becoming a human who transcends humanity.
Normally, in such a state, one's mind would become hazy, losing all reason.
But Ha Yuseong spoke.
“I'm ready.”
Amazingly, his consciousness remained perfectly intact.
* * *
The examinee named Ha Yuseong had already all but passed in the previous stage.
And with the highest score, at that.
The reason he didn't end the test, however, was due to his own pure curiosity.
It was also the reason why the Fierce Tiger Sword had always served as an examiner.
‘Sometimes, very rarely.’
Yes. Very rarely, a genius who surpassed all his expectations would appear. In this place called the martial world.
Witnessing it with his own two eyes was one of the Fierce Tiger Sword's few remaining hobbies.
“Then, here it comes.”
Squeeze.
His grip on the ball tightened.
This stance is of no use in combat. In fact, it's a hindrance.
But for this test alone, it was the optimal stance, refined by the Fierce Tiger Sword over decades.
He pulled his left leg up vertically in front of his stomach. His opposite right leg firmly supported his standing body.
Placing his entire body's weight on his right leg, he gripped the ball with both hands and raised his arms above his head.
Simultaneously, he slowly lowered his raised arms forward while extending his lifted leg straight out in front of him.
Tap.
The moment his left heel touched the ground, he instantly shifted the center of gravity from his right foot.
Thump!
At that moment, the dust settled on the ground shot up into the air.
Simultaneously, his body twisted.
All the rotational force generated by it.
Starting from his planted ankle.
From his knee to his waist.
Then from his waist to his arm.
From his arm to the tips of his fingers.
He channeled it all.
‘And throws.’
With an incredible spin applied, the ball…
‘…curves.’
Whoosh! The ball, flying at high speed, curved mid-air.
Watching this, one of the examiners, Lee Ja-cheong, let out a small gasp of admiration.
‘Hoh! Has it really been ten years since I last saw that? It's as beautiful as ever.’
The highlight of the test, shown only when the Fierce Tiger Sword is in a good mood: the Demon Ball.
The devil's ball that bewitches the opponent.
The ball, flying with immense spin and speed, hit the wall and fell.
Thud… roll, roll, roll.
Inside the quiet examination hall, only the sound of the rolling ball could be heard.
The Fierce Tiger Sword accepted that it couldn't be helped.
‘I suppose I got too excited.’
The level he had just displayed was powerful enough that only a master of the third rank or higher could even begin to perceive it.
It was then.
“Pa (覇). The character was 'Supreme'.”
At the low voice that rang out, the Fierce Tiger Sword's tightly shut mouth fell slightly open.
“You pass.”
* * *
The twelve unit leaders of the Outer Division rarely gathered in one place.
This was because they were the ones who handled the Murim Alliance's external affairs.
Yet here these twelve unit leaders were, all gathered together, identically poring over the numerous papers laid out before them.
Unfortunately, the Fierce Tiger Sword, who had overseen the test, was absent due to an urgent mission. In his place, the vice leader of the Guardian Unit was in attendance.
“Why isn't he here?”
The Unit Leader had explicitly instructed him to bring that kid.
-If you don't bring him, you'll die by my hand. Understand?
-…
-Aren't you going to answer?
-Yes, sir!
Wondering if he had missed him, he carefully checked the list starting from the top-ranked examinee, but he still wasn't there.
First place, Moyong Jin.
Second place, Hwangbo Yeon.
Third place, Lee Yul.
.
.
.
One by one, they were choosing their desired candidates.
“Damn it! Why isn't he here! I'm really in for it now!”
In the order of selecting successful candidates, the first choice was given to the leader of the Sun Yang Unit, the foremost of the Ten Great Units. He chose the second son of the Moyong Family, who had placed first in this entrance examination.
A talent everyone had coveted, but could not choose.
The child called the genius of this generation.
The moment this coveted prodigy was chosen, the sound of the unit leaders gulping could be heard from all around.
It was then that the leader of the Two Mountains Unit, next in line after the Sun Yang Unit, made his move. He naturally chose the second-place candidate, Hwangbo Yeon.
Everyone nodded as they watched.
After all, the Two Mountains Unit had been led by members of the Hwangbo Family since ancient times.
Similarly, the Sun Yang Unit was also structured around members of the Moyong Family.
Up to this point, everything had gone according to a predetermined script.
Finally, it was the Guardian Unit's turn.
Everyone glanced at the Guardian Unit's vice leader, who was hesitating to make a choice. He kept stalling for time, searching for the name Ha Yuseong, but it was still nowhere to be found.
If he delayed any longer, complaints would surely erupt from the other unit leaders.
The Guardian Unit's vice leader had no choice but to tearfully pick Lee Yul, the third-place candidate.
‘I'm a dead man. The Unit Leader is going to kill me.’
After that, the unit leaders chose their members in order.
Among them were some who chose no one at all.
Because no matter how well they had done, if the successful candidates didn't catch the eye of a unit leader, they would not truly pass. This was the Murim Alliance's real final test.
It was then that the leader of the Crouching Dragon Unit, who was expected to choose no one again this time, quietly rose from his seat.
Everyone frowned at the Crouching Dragon Unit's leader. They disliked him for reeking of alcohol even at such an important gathering.
‘Looks like he's just leaving again today.’
‘Why on earth does the Strategist favor such a man?’
‘He doesn't belong among the Ten Great Units, the swords of the Murim Alliance.’
‘He's a disgrace to the Murim Alliance!’
Amidst the unit leaders' contempt.
The leader of the Crouching Dragon Unit, whom everyone expected to leave as usual, headed not for the exit, but for a table.
On it were the lists of those who had failed.
All who were watching him frowned.
‘He's about to do something strange again.’
‘Why in the world does the Strategist not expel that man from the Murim Alliance?’
‘Damn him!’
Unable to watch his eccentric behavior any longer, the leader of the Sun Yang Unit was the first to click his tongue loudly and leave.
“Tsk!”
Following his lead, the other unit leaders began to leave as if there was nothing more to see.
The vice leader of the Guardian Unit also left, his shoulders slumped.
Inside the empty building, after everyone had departed.
Only the leader of the Crouching Dragon Unit remained.
Only then did he pick out two sheets from the list of failed candidates.
One was.
Name: Namgung Yuya.
Written: 100 points.
Practical: 0 points.
Total: 50 out of 100 points.
Final result: Failed.
“Interesting, aren't you?”
The other was.
Name: Ha Yuseong.
Written: 0 points.
Practical: 100 points.
Total: 50 out of 100 points.
Final result: Failed.
“You're an interesting one, too, I see.”
The leader of the Crouching Dragon Unit handed the two papers to the Strategist's office and vanished.
And upon seeing them, the Strategist, Jegal Jin, gripped his throbbing head.
“Haa. What are you thinking this time, Divine Dragon?”
A now-forgotten title, once the most brilliant of all, escaped his lips.
* * *
Fallen Dragon.
A title referring to a dragon whose wings were clipped, causing it to fall from the sky.
“Please, not the Crouching Dragon Unit!”
“Please, anything but the Crouching Dragon Unit!”
“I'd rather retake the test! Just not the Crouching Dragon Unit, please!”
The examinees who had completed all the tests were gathered in the examination hall.
Ha Yuseong glanced at the examinee next to him.
He had been muttering nonstop about the Crouching Dragon Unit this and that.
‘So this is youth.’
An old man like me would feel like I'd conquered the world just by passing.
Just then, twelve people filed into the examination hall.
It was clear at a glance that they were no ordinary individuals.
From the cheers that erupted, Ha Yuseong realized they were the twelve unit leaders who protected the Murim Alliance's Outer Division.
“So those are the legendary Twelve Swords!”
Ha Yuseong also looked ahead, his eyes shining.
And among them was someone he knew.
“Hm?”
It was the drunkard.
The drunkard, who met his gaze, grinned.
“Aargh! I made eye contact with the Crouching Dragon Unit's leader! Anything but the Crouching Dragon Unit!”
From the man beside him, who seemed to be under some misunderstanding, Ha Yuseong learned that the drunkard was not only from the Crouching Dragon Unit but was its leader.
Well, he had vaguely suspected as much.
A person who would casually hand him a recommendation token couldn't possibly be ordinary.
But he had never imagined that person would be the leader of the Crouching Dragon Unit.
Finally, the unit leaders began to call out the names of the successful candidates.
All the examinees in the hall knew from the earlier explanation.
Those who passed would have their names called by the unit leaders, and those who didn't were considered to have failed.
A red-haired man was the first to step forward.
“It's the Sun Yang Unit!”
“The greatest sword the Murim Alliance boasts! That must be the Fire Swordmaster!”
The Fire Swordmaster, Moyong Yuseong.
A master of Yang Arts, who wields yang energy.
He was also the representative swordsman of the Moyong Family. It was only natural, then, that he would choose Moyong Jin, the top-ranked candidate.
“Moyong Jin.”
After saying just the name, the Fire Swordmaster left. Moyong Jin, as if he had expected this all along, naturally followed behind.
And everyone accepted this as a matter of course. After all, the Sun Yang Unit was primarily composed of people from the Moyong Family.
Soon, each of the unit leaders picked the candidates they wanted.
And now, only the last one remained.
Of the ten thousand or so people here, fewer than two hundred had passed.
‘It's as tough as they say.’
Ha Yuseong had already half given up. Still, he had no regrets, as he had done his best.
The drunkard from before stepped forward.
Seeing his staggering posture, everyone tried to avoid eye contact.
The voice of the man muttering to himself beside me grew even more desperate.
“I'd rather fail. Anything but the Crouching Dragon Unit!”
It wasn't just him. Everyone was whispering about the leader of the Crouching Dragon Unit.
“So that's the infamous Fallen Dragon.”
‘Fallen Dragon?’
“Have you heard? They say the Crouching Dragon Unit is where the Murim Alliance sends those it has given up on.”
‘Only those they've given up on?’
“To be precise, it's a gathering place for problem children, a sort of garbage dump, they say.”
‘But it's still one of the Murim Alliance's Ten Great Units, isn't it?’
An official armed force of the Murim Alliance.
For such a place to be spoken of so poorly?
How must they usually act to have such a reputation?
For a moment, his eyes met the Crouching Dragon Unit leader's. He grinned again.
He was holding two sheets of paper.
He lifted one sheet and opened his mouth.
“Namgung Yuya.”
The moment he said it, the man next to me let out a single shriek and fainted on the spot.
“Mother!”
Thump!
“Hoh! Is he that happy to have his name called by me?”
It seemed he was slightly mistaken. From the looks of it, the man had fainted not from joy, but from sheer dread.
Lifting the last remaining sheet of paper, the leader of the Crouching Dragon Unit spoke.
“Ha Yuseong.”
Hearing my name called, I ignored what everyone around me was saying, threw both my hands in the air, and shouted at the top of my lungs.
“Woooooah! I passed!”
It was the moment a fifty-year dream came true.