Chapter 25
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Translator: 8uhl
Chapter: 25
Chapter Title: Totally a Rookie, Huh?
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I asked Yang Cho-gun, who was busily gathering his bow and arrows.
"Are you confident in your archery skills?"
"Before I became a bounty hunter, I used to hunt wild game for a living."
"I see. You've got quite a bit of experience yourself."
"Who doesn't?"
"Good luck out there."
'Well, a former hunter? Passing should be a breeze for him.'
True to his background as a hunter, Yang Cho-gun landed all ten shots squarely on the target.
The unorthodox fellow's face stiffened like stone.
He must have thought he'd snag the top spot for admission to the Imperial Palace Martial Academy.
Not an impossible feat for a martial artist like him.
By my eye, his skills were solidly second-rate.
Of course, that'd put him at the back of the pack in the Demon Dragon Academy, but not here.
Maybe that's why he chose this place instead.
Better to be the head of a snake than the tail of a dragon, right?
As I watched him fidget anxiously, my turn came up.
"Number 171, step forward."
I gripped the bowstring, aiming for about Yang Cho-gun's level.
Having mastered every throwing weapon to the extreme during my Shadow Squad days, handling a bow was no trouble at all.
I carefully took aim, infused a touch of internal energy, and released.
A sharp whistle tore through the air as the arrow punched straight through the target and vanished.
"Gasp!"
"A-a master!"
"Knew it! He is a master!"
Anyone can chuck darts or shoot arrows.
But channeling internal energy into projectiles? That's a whole other level.
The energy has to hold steady all the way to impact.
That takes a massive reserve of qi to begin with.
And a top-tier cultivation method to compress and control it efficiently.
Even first-rate experts like Yang Cho-gun couldn't manage it with their hidden weapons.
The piercing whistles echoed relentlessly across the testing grounds.
Bwoooong~ Whiiiiiine!
The resonant hum of my qi left the other examinees and even the proctors staring at me in a daze.
I nailed nine shots clean and easy.
The funny part? Not a single arrow stuck in any target.
They'd all blown right through and embedded in the dirt behind.
"Piece of cake."
I nocked the final tenth arrow. Drew back with all my strength, took one last deep breath before holding it to steady my aim...
"Pffftttchoooo!!"
Damn it! That cursed linden tree pollen got up my nose again.
The result was catastrophic.
BOOM!!
A massive explosion rang out. When the dust settled, there was nothing left where the target had been.
"……."
"……."
Not just me—everyone's jaws had dropped, mouths agape.
But the test had to go on, so the proctor approached to inspect the spot.
He spotted where the last arrow had lodged—short of the target—and called out.
"One miss! Hwang Tae-seong: nine hits!"
"What a stickler. Congrats on spotting that—you take first place."
"……."
But no one there bought it.
It was like firing a K2 at the range, then suddenly hosing down with a K6 machine gun, and capping it off by vaporizing the target with an RPG-7.
People stared at me in disbelief.
I played dumb and brushed it off.
Next up was the sparring test—and it was a bit unusual.
No free-for-all fights. It was staff combat.
Armies love spears, after all.
Maybe that's why they went with staffs.
And the arena was unique too.
The sparring ground had mud pits dug all over, with huge logs—twice a man's waist in width—laid across them.
We had to duel atop those logs.
The first to fall off into the mud loses. Then a new challenger climbs up to face the winner, and so on.
I'd seen something like it on those old sports variety shows.
'Hmm. Never touched a staff in my life...'
"You trained with the staff?"
I shook my head at Yang Cho-gun's question.
"Nope, first time for me."
"Really? Hm..."
"Looks like it's your first too, huh?"
He nodded.
"I'm just gonna treat it like a sword."
"Like a sword? Fair enough... Think of it as a long blade and swing away. Especially since your swordplay specializes in thrusts."
I racked my brain for any martial art resembling staff work that I knew.
But nothing came close, no matter how I thought about it.
The matches kicked off—and they were fiercer than expected.
Ten logs ablaze with action from the academy hopefuls—quite the spectacle.
They unleashed their staffs with fervor, holding their own.
The hilarious part? It naturally split into cheering sections, turning into a rally.
Watching losers splash into the mud, covered head to toe—priceless.
All that stress from the day's tests melting away, you know?
But my turn loomed too.
How the hell was I supposed to handle a staff?
I agonized over it.
Then...
"Number 171, up you go!"
"Yes, sir!"
'Screw it. It'll work out somehow!'
I grabbed the staff and climbed the log. Narrower than it looked.
And wouldn't you know—my opponent's staff work looked pro-level.
Me? Zero clue.
Plus, no room for my footwork advantage here.
Both hands tied up with the staff, too.
'Sigh... Damn it.'
"Hiyah!"
Thwack! Thud! Pow! Biff!
His skill was way better than I'd guessed—I was struggling hard.
The guy bounced around like he was Zhao Yun reincarnated.
He'd sniffed out my staff inexperience and got cockier.
"Ha... This bastard?"
A quick glance sideways: Yang Cho-gun was surprisingly dominating.
Even shoving his foe to the far end of the log.
Me? Taking hit after hit, getting pummeled.
My side's hopeful cheers soured into gripes.
"What? He's a total rookie!"
"Thought he had potential, but nah."
"Decent qi, but staff skills? Trash."
"If that's all he's got, I could take him."
Hearing that sparked an idea.
'Who says I have to hit the enemy with the staff?'
I slammed the staff down into the log, leaped high, and drop-kicked him square with both feet.
WHAM!!
"Gwaaaack!"
Zhao Yun wannabe flew like a bird, crashing into the heads of his cheering squad on the other side.
"Whoa? Nice one!"
My one-shot send-off ignited cheers from my side, piercing the sky.
"Woooaaah!!"
"That's what I'm talking about!!"
I gave my teammates a quick thumbs-up and reached to retrieve the staff.
But...
"Huh?"
It was wedged deep in the log—stuck fast.
"Wh-what the...?"
Meanwhile, a new challenger hopped up from the other side.
Another staff expert, spinning it like a windmill, fired up for battle.
Whoosh~ Whoosh~ Whoosh~ Whoosh~
"Damn, why are all my opponents staff masters? And why won't this thing budge?!"
I yanked futilely, then another brainstorm hit.
Just leave the staff stuck and use it as a pivot. Grab it and fight with hands and feet.
Fresh thinking.
No need to swing the damn thing, right?
By then, my foe closed in and swung at me.
"Die, punk!"
"Crazy bastard! Snap out of it—this is a spar!"
"Die anyway!"
"Haa... This guy?"
He flailed wildly.
I dodged, shuffling left and right.
Mid-dodge, I spun right around the staff and threw a high kick his way.
"You die too!"
But he raised the staff's left end, blocking the kick easy.
Then thrust the lowered left end at my gut.
I backpedaled quick, ducking behind the embedded staff.
His strike halted against it.
Clack!
"Tch!"
I lightning-snapped a left jab at his face.
He spun the staff right, deflecting it.
"Ha, check this punk out?"
And so, with the staff planted between us on the log, we spun circles in a fierce standoff.
Whatever I was doing, it sure wasn't staff fighting.
This was straight-up staff dancing.
Spinning and squatting around a pole stuck in a log—who does that?
'Haa... Me, in the martial world, doing unwanted pole dancing. Damn it all.'
The thought alone drew a sigh.
Meanwhile, this guy was having the time of his life. Flipping the staff behind his neck, around his waist, over his shoulders—total showoff.
Enemy or not, it was god-tier staff work.
But watching it dragged on, and now I was getting pissed.
Time to end this game.
"Whew~ Hey, you done playing?"
"What?"
"Shown off all your fancy tricks?"
"Tr-tricks? You punk?"
"Counting to three."
"Huh? Th-three?"
I unleashed thick killing intent.
"If you're not off by then, you'll regret it big time."
He flinched at my aura but, riding his edge so far, pressed the attack boldly.
"Quit bluffing and drop already!"
"Earning yourself a spanking, huh? Guess you need a beating to wise up."
To me, this guy was basically a civilian.
Seemed like he'd trained hard with spears for an army career, but zero qi.
So I'd held back on my own energy.
But his staff style just didn't mesh with mine at all.