Could It Be Him?
Five days passed in the blink of an eye. During that time, Im Bukjin managed to secure a total of 64 Star Insignias.
[Map]
It was a result born from the absurd functions of the [Map] app combined with Bukjin’s relentless, sleepless obsession. Sixty-four! It was a terrifying quantity. Currently, Im Jin, who held the top spot on the stone pillar, had only found six insignias. The boy in second place, Sim Bi, had found two. Do Manseong and Lee Do, along with their respective factions, had found one each. Aside from them, the other students had come up completely empty-handed.
All sixty-four Star Insignias Bukjin had unearthed were safely stored within the [Storage] app on his smartphone.
[Storage]
Since no one but Bukjin knew this, the performance of this year’s students appeared pathetic on the surface. The results were so abysmal that Yi Cheong-hyeon and the other officials overseeing the selection trials were in a state of deep shock.
"This batch is hopeless. To think they've only found this many Star Insignias so far! At this rate, we won't even have twenty people selected!" Yi Cheong-hyeon said, his brow furrowed in a deep scowl.
"This isn't just low; it's unnervingly low. It almost feels like something is wrong," Yeo Nak-yeon added, looking troubled.
"Perhaps the examiners from the Board of Education hid them too well?" Jin Geom-nam, a company commander of the Unmong-wi, suggested with a grave expression.
Time continued to flow, and another day passed. There were now only two days left until the end of the selection trials. Around mid-afternoon, the names of about twenty students on the stone pillar in the center of the plaza suddenly began to flash rapidly. A piercing alarm echoed from the pillar.
MASS ELIMINATION DETECTED
"Hm? What's happening? How could so many students be eliminated at once?" Yi Cheong-hyeon shouted, rushing out of his room as he kept his eyes glued to the stone pillar.
"The eliminations are concentrated in a single location. Could a high-level magical beast have appeared? No, that doesn't make sense..." Jin Geom-nam, the Unmong-wi commander, hurriedly dispatched elite soldiers outside the territory.
Half an hour later, thirty-six students, including the geniuses of the National Imperial Junior Academy, Mo Yeom-dong and So Yeong-yeong, arrived back at the territory with the Unmong-wi soldiers, looking utterly dejected.
"What happened? What occurred out there?" Yi Cheong-hyeon asked urgently.
Jin Geom-nam, hearing his question, replied with a look of pity. "These two groups of students claim they were ambushed. Despite there being so many of them, not a single one saw clearly who attacked them. They say their stone tablets were destroyed before they could even put up a fight."
"Did you find the person who destroyed the tablets?" Yi Cheong-hyeon asked, scanning the students.
At that moment, a small, scrawny boy stepped forward. "Sir, I did it."
"You destroyed the stone tablets of thirty-six students by yourself?" Yi Cheong-hyeon’s eyes sharpened.
"I helped too," a girl with short, light-brown hair said as she stepped forward. She had a clean-cut face, but her skin was slightly tanned, and her clothes were stained and torn in several places. She looked like a total tomboy. With clear, bright eyes, she shouted, "The two of us did it!"
Yi Cheong-hyeon’s sharp gaze swept over the boy and the girl. He knew their identities. Both were representative students of the Five Great Social Gangs. Members of these social gangs hailed from the wilderness rather than the city; they were known to be brave, but also fierce and ruthless.
As a member of the Unmong City Board of Education, Yi Cheong-hyeon did not think highly of these social gangs. He had even opposed their participation in the Academic & Martial Arts Competition. Naturally, his reaction upon learning they were from such backgrounds was cold.
With a stern face, Yi Cheong-hyeon demanded, "Speak! Who ordered you to attack the other students?"
The tomboyish girl didn't even blink as she answered calmly, "Sir, what we did is permitted under the rules of the trial."
The scrawny boy added, "Sir, even if you ask further, we cannot give you an answer. But I'm sure you have your suspicions..."
Yi Cheong-hyeon looked flustered for a moment before narrowing his eyes. After a brief pause, he shouted, "Is anyone there? Send these two back to Unmong City immediately!"
Soon, a carriage departed from the territory with the boy and girl inside. Their part in the selection trials was over. And along with them, Mo Yeom-dong, So Yeong-yeong, and their followers were also finished. The eliminated students looked miserable and furious.
"That tomboyish brat is Fang Xiaobai. She's from the Gale Brotherhood. How dare she destroy my stone tablet! I won't let this go once we're back in Unmong City!"
"That scrawny punk is from the Fire Wolf Mercenaries. Hmph! I'll definitely have my revenge!"
"I can't accept this situation!"
"We were almost there! This is so annoying!"
The rage of the disqualified students seemed ready to pierce the heavens. However, Mo Yeom-dong and So Yeong-yeong remained remarkably composed. To them, it was simply a matter of their opponents being stronger. Of course, admitting the excellence of an opponent was never easy.
"Everyone, I failed to lead you properly this time and missed our great goal. However, the offer I made to you all still stands. Once we return to the city, come find me at the National Imperial Junior Academy! This is just the beginning; we will have many more opportunities to work together in the future!" Mo Yeom-dong said gallantly.
So Yeong-yeong added, "I feel the same as Senior Mo. Once a friend, always a friend. To all my brothers and sisters who have come to know me, So Yeong-yeong, during this trial—if you ever need help, do not hesitate to find me!"
Mo Yeom-dong and So Yeong-yeong were the children of mid-level officials in Unmong City and came from noble backgrounds. Their words carried weight. The students, who had been grieving their loss, began to cheer at their words. Soon, carriages from each academy arrived, and the students boarded them to return home.
The most disastrous result belonged to the 6th Academy. All seven of their representatives had been eliminated. Gu Cheon, the obese instructor of the 6th Academy, looked as if he had been cast into hell.
"Haha! Instructor Gu, have a safe trip back. I'm afraid I can't see you off, as our students' trials aren't over yet!" Jeong Sam-seok said, looking as delighted as if it were his birthday.
"Hmph! Don't get too ahead of yourself, Jeong. The representatives of your 3rd Academy are all trash. They're destined to be eliminated in the end anyway. Don't even dream of them making it to the finals," Gu Cheon cursed, his flabby body jiggling as he climbed into his carriage.
Jeong Sam-seok laughed even louder in response. "Hahaha! Even if we're both dreaming, mine is a lucky omen while yours is a nightmare! At the very least, my students haven't been eliminated yet. That means there's still a chance until the trial ends! Our situation is different from your 6th Academy! Tsk, tsk. To have everyone eliminated at once... how tragic!"
"You...!" Gu Cheon’s anger reached its peak, nearly making him cough up blood. But then, as if remembering something, he suddenly smirked. "Don't be so triumphant, Jeong. Surely you haven't already forgotten your former prized disciple, Jo Pacheon?"
With that, the carriage departed the territory and quickly sped away. The smile that had been plastered on Jeong Sam-seok’s face slowly faded.
Beneath the stone pillar.
"Two days left until the end of the trials. The competition is only going to get fiercer. Those kids really caused a scene this time. To have so many people eliminated at once..." Yeo Nak-yeon, one of the three managing the territory, said as he walked over slowly.
Jin Geom-nam, having a military background, was accustomed to situations resembling warfare. He couldn't help but speak up. "I despise seeing students resort to underhanded schemes instead of fighting fairly. Why can't they test their strength like men, with dignity?"
Yi Cheong-hyeon replied to him, "Because the selection trial was never meant to be a competition of pure martial force. Rather, it is a place to train one's character and mind. The talent the Empire requires is not just someone with strong arms, but someone with wisdom and patience. Someone with a strong heart who doesn't fall into despair even after losing, just as Mo Yeom-dong and So Yeong-yeong showed. Those two will surely become great people later. That said, Lee Do and Do Manseong are truly the twin pillars of the National Imperial Junior Academy. Their resourcefulness is no joke. To eliminate their two biggest rival groups just as the trial reaches its climax..."
Yeo Nak-yeon responded, "Ho ho, Lord Yi, what makes you think it was Lee Do and Do Manseong, and not Im Jin or someone else?"
Yi Cheong-hyeon looked at him and said, "Im Jin is a true genius. She exists in a different world from them. She takes immense pride in her own abilities, so she isn't the type to orchestrate something like this. And looking at the others, there's no one else capable of pulling off such a feat besides Lee Do and Do Manseong. Who else could eliminate geniuses like So Yeong-yeong and Mo Yeom-dong?"
As he finished speaking, Yi Cheong-hyeon found the image of Im Bukjin popping into his head for some unknown reason. To Yi Cheong-hyeon, Im Bukjin was a former delinquent who had performed an incredible miracle in a very short amount of time.
...Could it be him?
The thought flickered through Yi Cheong-hyeon’s mind for a moment before he dismissed it. No, it's impossible. The two groups led by Mo Yeom-dong and So Yeong-yeong totaled thirty-six people. Eliminating them all in an instant was not something that could be achieved through individual martial prowess alone.
The night of the ninth day arrived. Bukjin’s entire body was covered in mud. He looked like a farmer who had just finished a long day’s work.
"I've found a total of eighty insignias... Phew, I'm exhausted."
Bukjin had completely exhausted his Mystic Qi. He tossed his clothes into the dressing room and soaked his body in the hot spring. Only then did he feel a bit of strength returning. Eventually, he had no choice but to run the [Intermediate Mystic Qi Condensation] app to recover his energy through his smartphone.
Recovering depleted Mystic Qi...
For the past few days, Bukjin had left early in the morning and returned late at night. He had been so busy using the [Map] app to hunt for Star Insignias like a madman that he hadn't even had time to hunt monsters. After setting everything else aside and struggling with all his might, he had finally managed to acquire eighty Star Insignias.